What Wood Do Absolutely Hate To Use?

[BrentWin]

We all can name our favorite wood for calls in the blink of an eye. But, what is the wood that you absolutely hate to use.

For me, it's oak. The only good use for the stuff is for in a fireplace or sent to Kingsford to be burnt up and put in a blue and white bag. It's dusty, splintery and you spend twice the normal finishing time just trying to get the grain filled. And after all that effort, it still isn't pretty wood.

I have an order that I have been putting off doing for a week, just because it's an oak grunt call. I tried to talk the guy out of it. I offered him every wood that I had, but he was dead set on oak.

OK, that's the end of my rant. Anyone else?

 

[DKMD]

I haven't made calls, but I'd have to say cedar is my least favorite wood to turn... Soft and oily with the smell of a gerbil's butt!

 

[SDB777]

Hmmm.......Oak, really?

What about this little fella?
http://i29.Rule #2/albums/c271/SDB777/Available%20pens/EFROak003_zps7c2f402e.jpg
http://i29.Rule #2/albums/c271/SDB777/Available%20pens/EFROak002_zps38411744.jpg

or maybe this one?
http://i29.Rule #2/albums/c271/SDB777/Available%20pens/UncleDavidsWoodPile002.jpg
http://i29.Rule #2/albums/c271/SDB777/Available%20pens/UncleDavidsWoodPile003.jpg

I got more Oak....


How about yellow pine? Other then material to build houses....eck?




Scott (ain't turnin' no pine) B

 

[NYWoodturner]

Thats one hell of a case for oak! Nice pens Scott

 

[SDB777]

Ooooh, Eastern Red Cedar......

http://i29.Rule #2/albums/c271/SDB777/Available%20pens/ERCxcut001.jpg

http://i29.Rule #2/albums/c271/SDB777/Pens/EasternRedCedarLongClicker_zpsb248e6a3.jpg

http://i29.Rule #2/albums/c271/SDB777/Pens/308cartridgeeasternredcedar1.jpg

http://i29.Rule #2/albums/c271/SDB777/Bottle%20Stoppers/DSC01740_zps72332fed.jpg


I got more of these too....

How about Pine?


Scott (do another, please) B

 

[Karl_99]

I am not crazy about working with Wenge. It is splintery and not real nice to work with for penmaking.

 

[SDB777]

I'll admit, my worst to just turn due to the time and amount of thin CA that is used(the stuff burns my eyes something awful), is an Afghan Pine Cone. But results....nothing but amazing!

Sorry about the photo quality, didn't know what I was doing back then...
http://i29.Rule #2/albums/c271/SDB777/Available%20pens/308CP-APC1N.jpg

http://i29.Rule #2/albums/c271/SDB777/Pens/ExposureFusionPineBlackWalnut.jpg

http://i29.Rule #2/albums/c271/SDB777/Pens/DSC01006.jpg



Haven't done too many of these, they are like hens teeth or something....they fall out of trees in New Mexico and Arizona, but getting someone to pick them up and mail them to a fella is hard!?!!?!?!?




Scott (likin' this topic.....) B

 

[SDB777]

I am not crazy about working with Wenge. It is splintery and not real nice to work with for penmaking.

Crud.....now I'm going to have to use those four blanks I have in my 'stash'.....



Scott (maybe Wednesday) B

 

[Karl_99]

Scott: What kind of oak is that in the closed end pen you showed? That grain is awesome.

 

[SDB777]

Scott: What kind of oak is that in the closed end pen you showed? That grain is awesome.

White Oak from Wisconsin...Beetown actually. I picked it off a firewood stack outside a pub while visiting the grandmother(wife's side).


Scott (zebrawood kinda smells bad when you drill it hot) B

 

[Kevin]

Scott, the question wasn't what are some of your favorite woods - it was what are some of the species of wood you hate to work with.

It's a good question Brent. For me the two species I have ever hated to work with were cypress and the particular old growth pine I have (maybe not all old growth would affect me way this has - could be a mold). Both beautiful woods (we can all post pics of beautiful specimens), I just hate working with them. On sort of a different vein, I don't hate working with oak, it just doesn't do anything for me aesthetically, unless its a arts and crafts/ Greene and Greene or even some of Frank Lloyd Wrights stuff. Some of those beg for oak, but other than that I don't like it. So my answers are:

• Bald Cypress
• Some old growth pine
• Oak - just cause it's ugly. There are exceptions.

(Scott, get your grits together man we want to know if there's a wood you don't like. Methinks Scott's truths are only ever found in parenthesis and it gets old sometimes but sometimes they are hilarious. Glad none of the rest of us do it. Has anyone seen my nail clippers?)

 

[Kevin]

Brent let me know if I need to start a new thread for Scott's wonderful pens.

:undecided:

 

[WoodLove]

For me its monkeypod. Its beautiful wood but it causes me have an asthma attack....... That's one wood that is not allowed anywhere near my shop anymore.

 

[BrentWin]

Brent let me know if I need to start a new thread for Scott's wonderful pens.

:undecided:

No need, as they say "one man's trash is another man's treasure". Those are some beautiful pens. I should have clarified by saying straight grain oak. To me burls are always beautiful and they give you great payback for the extra effort.

Scott, no harm no foul. I just started this thread to wake everybody up and get them talking.

 

[barry richardson]

MDF........ hate it

 

[Kevin]

MDF........ hate it

I guess I have to cram another bag full of sawdust. You just won a contest that doesn't even exist yet. That . . . . was funny. And true.

 

[BarbS]

P-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-ine.

 

[Alan Sweet]

Cypress is the pits... And I like to make boxes out oak and cedar. You can do so much with the grain and colors

 

[Knotholeexoticwood]

EX

 

[HomeBody]

I cut a small tree in my woods called a Shadbush. (aka serviceberry) I wondered why it was called Shadbush until I put it on the table saw and opened it up. It STINKS LIKE FISH! I don't mean a little bit, but a LOT! I had to wash my hands 3 times with my deer hunting scent killer soap to get the smell off my hands. My dog wouldn't come around me either. My least favorite so far. Gary